Monkey waiters at restaurant

Yat-chan and Fuku-chan are waiters at the Kaoru Otsuka sake house north of Tokyo. The two are monkeys. They bring hot towels and also serve drinks. From Reuters, where you can also see video:

"Yat-chan first learned by just watching me working in the restaurant. It all started when one day I gave him a hot towel out of curiosity and he brought the towel to the customer," the 63-year-old owner of the tavern, Kaoru Otsuka, told Reuters...

"We called out for more beer just then and it brought us some beer! It's amazing how it seems to understand human words," said 71-year-old retiree Miho Takikawa, who said she came to the tavern specifically to meet the monkeys.

Monkey waiters

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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Pirate

It starts with edamame tips… it ends with REVOLUTION!

I see a monkey waiter named Ceasar, we’re in trouble.
stratojoe

How many monkey butlers will there be?
se7a7n7

I do believe this is how Planet of the Apes started
Wigwam Jones

Beeru o Kudasai. Takson beeru.
Doug Nelson

But do they post the calorie content of their menu items?
Trent Hawkins

DAMN IT! Did they make six movies about this for nothing?

Quick everyone, we must secure the statue of liberty before they blow it up!
Santa’s Knee

“IIE.”
ScribblingSquid

I’ve heard that people who come into contact with monkeys for the first time tend to get rather spectacular diarrhea soon afterwards. I’ve heard they frequently carry Shigella and all sorts of other germs which can be rather unpleasant to humans.

Simian Foamy Virus infections ,although less symptomatic, can be quite persistent.

Monkeys can also carry without symptoms less common but fatal diseases like Herpes B virus.

I’ve wondered if this is one of the reasons that travelers are so emphatically told not to touch the monkeys in countries where they wander free in tourist areas.
Gilbert Wham

Where is MY monkey butler? Eh? Eh?
nanuq

I can see the unions complaining now.
TJ S

Would PETA be ok with this, as long as the monkies are paid minimum wage or better?
Itsumishi

@ #6 posted by TJ S

No need! Everyone knows you only need to pay peanuts to get primates!
mdh

We can all guess what happens when you don’t tip well.
gshaffer

How sad this passes for news. Here’s an interesting take on all of this monkey biz:
http://cmmnctncncrns.blgspt.cm/2008/10/mcnws-y-cn-s_07.html
Takuan

blogwhoring
jipper

“Gives a whole new meaning to, “A job so easy a monkey could do it”.”

suppose someone had to post that…well done bro.
Anonymous

Gives a whole new meaning to, “A job so easy a monkey could do it”.
ill lich

“Hey Bonzo. . . fling that chocolate mousse over here!”
pauldrye

I dunno — flinging poop to slinging soup seems like a pretty obvious progression to me.
Anonymous

I like turtles.
forgeweld

I, for one, welcome our new monkey underlings.